1887
Construction of the Manchester Ship Canal began in 1887 and it was officially opened by Queen Victoria in 1894.
History collides with Future
It's a story that begins with the building of a canal that connected Manchester and Salford to the sea, turning both into global giants. Today, those same docks are our home.
What connects us to our past? Our pioneering spirit. We may have swapped dockers for developers, but we’re as focused on innovation and global connection as ever. In the next decade, we’ll double in size, further developing the infrastructure that will enable businesses like yours to flex and grow. Becoming fully sustainable, and truly connected. A place whose waterside location, culture and street life put wellbeing front and centre, and where you’ll have access to an incredible density of talent.
1905
1905: No 9 Dock opened by King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, on the former site of the Manchester racecourse and measured as the largest dock in Salford.
1927: The Dock offices opened on Trafford Road.
1982
1982: the docks close down.
1987: The Ship Canal Company was acquired by The Peel Group in 1987.
2000
2000: Lowry officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II.
2002: Imperial War Museum North opens.
2007
The first spade in the ground at MediaCity as construction begins.
BBC proposes move of five of their London-based depts to MediaCity.
2010
ITV signs agreement to move the company’s Manchester base to MediaCity.
2011
- BBC moves staff to MediaCity as it occupies three buildings Bridge House, Dock House and Quay House.
- University of Salford opens.
- First TV series made from dock10 Studios.
- First BBC Broadcast from MediaCity.
- BBC Philharmonic Circhestra moves to MediaCity.
- MediaCity was accedited as the first BREEAM sustainable community in the world.
2012
Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by the Duke Of Edinburgh officially open MediaCity.
2013
Coronation Street’s production centre and famous cobbles open for filming.
2020
MediaCity is named the first Wired Certified Neighbourhood in Europe.
2021
MediaCity’s buildings become the first in the UK to achieve net zero carbon status.
2023
‘We Invented The Weekend’, Salfords biggest free bi-annual festival takes place for the first time with 60,000 attendees.
The weekend was invented in Greater Manchester in 1843 when Salford Lyceum Director and workers’ rights activist Robert Lowes (also Sir Ian McKellen’s Great Grandfather) campaigned to win workers the right to leisure time on Saturday afternoons. In this triumph, Greater Manchester gave an enormous gift to the world and We Invented the Weekend honours this, in true style, in Salford, celebrating leisure time, free time, quality time and me-time.
2024
Landsec secure 100% ownership of MediaCity.
Creativity, culture and innovation collide in our unique neighbourhood situated on the banks of the historic Manchester Ship Canal
It’s a place where creators craft content, innovators instigate change and the cultured congregate with an energy that inspires the next generation of talent to hone their skills here.
It’s an experiential destination which draws visitors to encounter all that it has to offer while enjoying the calm of its wide open spaces and waterfront.
As the UK home of future media and immersive experience its heart is firmly rooted in Salford but its ambition is global.